Lightning in Rhode Island

Events

59

Deaths

2

Injuries

19

Damage

$1.4 million

• Flash Flooding and Hail in Rhode Island, June 24, 20081 death · $30,000 · 1.75 in hail · 14 eventsA slow moving cold front provided a focus for severe thunderstorms. These thunderstorms produced very heavy rain that resulted in flash flooding, hail, and damaging winds.
• Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, August 11, 20041 death · 1 injured · 1 eventTwo men were struck by lightning from an early morning thunderstorm while fishing at East Matunuck State Beach in Narragansett. They were trying to find shelter when they were hit, according to media reports.
• Flood and Heat in Rhode Island, July 20, 20131 death · $5,000 · 3 eventsA pre-frontal trough moved into southern New England, providing lift for showers and thunderstorms to develop in a hot and humid atmosphere. In addition, CAPE up to 2000 J/kg and 30-40 kts of shear provided enough instability and shear for thunderstorms to become severe.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Rhode Island, June 22, 1997$440,000 · 1.75 in hail · 13 eventsA line of thunderstorms, some severe, moved southeastward across Rhode Island with large hail, frequent cloud to ground lightning, and wind gusts measured up to 80 mph.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Rhode Island, July 23, 2008$170,000 · EF1 · 8 eventsA frontal system moved through southern New England with the warm front moving through first and increasing low level moisture. Then the cold front moved through providing a lifting mechanism for showers and thunderstorms to develop.
• Flood and Lightning Strikes in Rhode Island, August 5, 20099 injured · $20,000 · 3 eventsA cold front moved across Southern New England into an unstable atmosphere, resulting in showers and thunderstorms forming along the front. Some of these storms became severe producing strong, damaging winds and frequent lightning strikes.
• Flash Flooding and Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, February 18, 1998$408,000 · 11 eventsA strong low pressure system that moved to the northeast along the Mid Atlantic coast and then passed southeast of Cape Cod brought heavy rainfall, isolated flash floods, and thunderstorms to mainly central and southern Rhode Island.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, August 4, 2015$222,000 · 72 kt wind · 13 eventsA line of severe thunderstorms developed across Long Island, NY and raced toward Rhode Island. These storms caused significant wind damage across Rhode Island resulting in widespread power outages, knocking down a significant amount of trees, and causing massive traffic delays.
• Flooding and Damaging Winds in Rhode Island, August 12, 2016$150,000 · 50 kt wind · 13 eventsA mid level disturbance and an approaching cold front resulted in showers and thunderstorms developing over much of southern New England. Like the storms the previous day, frequent lightning accompanied these storms. In addition, wind damage and flooding occurred.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Rhode Island, July 1, 20123 injured · $50,000 · 1 in hail · 11 eventsA weak cold front produced showers and thunderstorms, a few of which became severe producing both large hail and gusty winds.
• Lightning Strikes in Rhode Island, June 25, 2012$175,000 · 2 eventsA cold front moved through southern New England setting off showers and thunderstorms. Lightning strikes caused the most damage, hitting tress, houses, and transformers.
• Flash Flood and Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, June 17, 2001$150,000 · 2 eventsTorrential rainfall associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison resulted in flash flooding throughout Providence County. In Foster, two roads were washed out when runoff carved gulches into the roadways. In Woonsocket, the foundations of two buildings were washed out.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, June 23, 2015$97,000 · 50 kt wind · 8 eventsA strong cold front combined with a remnant of an elevated mixed layer (EML) and a significant amount of deep layer shear and instability to produce showers and thunderstorms across southern New England.
• Flash Flood and Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, September 1, 2013$102,000 · 2 eventsAn upper level disturbance moved over southern New England bringing showers and thunderstorms to the region. Precipitable water values over two inches indicated a very moist atmosphere; in addition, weak winds at the mid levels resulted in very slow moving storms.
• Flood and Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, March 8 to 10, 1998$50,000 · 16 eventsA powerful storm system moving slowly toward the northeast from the Ohio Valley to the eastern Great Lakes brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to Rhode Island, resulting in urban street flooding, basement flooding, and river flooding.
• Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, May 31, 2002$100,000 · 1 eventLightning struck a house in Lincoln and ignited a fire that caused approximately $100,000 in damage.
• Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, October 20, 2012$100,000 · 1 eventA warm front with a developing triple point and occlusion resulted in heavy rain and a few embedded thunderstorms.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Rhode Island, June 20, 2006$80,000 · 50 kt wind · 4 eventsA severe thunderstorms brought down large branches in Woonsocket.Later in the afternoon, another severe thunderstorm brought down wires in Providence, and blew down scaffolding at the state capitol building.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Rhode Island, July 18, 2006$65,000 · 1.75 in hail · 8 eventsSevere thunderstorms moved through Rhode Island at night, in advance of a cold front pushing through southern New England.Thunderstorm winds brought down trees and large limbs in Scituate, Johnston, Cranston, Warwick, Barrington, Middletown, North Kingstown, and Portsmouth.
• Flooding and Hail in Rhode Island, July 28, 2015$42,000 · 1 in hail · 7 eventsA strong upper level disturbance sparked showers and thunderstorms across much of southern New England. A few of these storms became severe, producing damaging winds. Others produced heavy rain that resulted in flooding.
• Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, June 5, 2010$50,000 · 50 kt wind · 2 eventsA wave of low pressure moving along a stationary front in place across Southern New England produced showers and thunderstorms across much of the region.
• Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, July 24, 2010$50,000 · 1 eventLightning strikes produced damage in parts of central and southern Rhode Island.
• Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, July 15, 20014 injured · 1 eventLightning struck a family of four in Burrillville, as they took refuge in their trailer during a thunderstorm. They were treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and later released.
• Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, July 28, 2006$40,000 · 50 kt wind · 2 eventsSevere thunderstorms brought damaging winds to much of northern Rhode Island.Large tree limbs were blown down in Glocester and Pawtucket. Trees were downed near Rhode Island College in Providence, which temporarily blocked a roadway.
• Damaging Wind and Lightning Strikes in Rhode Island, July 8, 2025$30,000 · 50 kt wind · 4 eventsA mid level shortwave and surface cold front brough a smattering of strong to severe storms to southern New England in the evening and early overnight hours. This resulted in scattered wind damage reports in central/northeast CT, northern RI, and central MA.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in Rhode Island

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.